Greece is the Word

After four days in Mykonos, including a day at Super Paradise beach, we are back in Athens. Mykonos was fantastic, and the day we spent at Super Paradise Beach the crowning glory of the visit. It seems that in Mykonos, unlike in Santorini, boardshorts win, but there's a dark horse entry--the full monty male nudity. For some reason Philip wasn't snapping photos of those blokes for the blog!

No surprise that Super Paradise is tricked out to be a major party spot--full outdoor restaurant, bar, dance floor, hidden sitting alcoves all overlooking a spectacular beach with a beautiful, warm, crystal blue sea. After the odd red beach in Santorini and the rock beach in Nice, we were thrilled to have real sand under our feet.

What Happens in Mykonos Stays in Mykonos

Shagadelic Mykonos

Having survived another ferry ride in the Aegean Sea (Poseidon going rather lightly on us this time), we arrived on the island of Mykonos, 5 miles from one of the most sacred of the Greek islands: Delos, birthplace of Apollo and Artemis. Very different from Santorini, Mykonos is flat in comparison and very cosmopolitan. We're staying at a shagadelic hotel that harkens back to the early 70's when Jackie O. and Brigitte Bardot made Mykonos their playground. The Theoxenia Hotel is in fact the lovingly refurbished hotel of the 70's that such luminaries frequented. You expect Truman Capote and Andy Warhol to walk in at any moment. The decor is very Austin Powers and overall it's a wonderful, luxurious place, right near the famous Mykonos windmills and a short walk from the island's town center.

But for those of us interested in the Greek myths, Mykonos is a very special place. Delos is considered to be the center of the Cyclades islands of Greece--they in fact "cycle" around Delos. And Mykonos is reputedly where Hercules slew the giants--and their petrified bodies are still discernible as the magnificent rocks you see all around.

Having lived in a cave 200 meters above the watery crater of the Santorini volcano, it's nice to be right on the water again, hearing the waves on the shores, seeing the colorful fishing boats up close, and even hanging out with the enormous pelican that appears to be the island's mascot--he walks through the town like he owns the place.

So far we are content to lounge by the super cool pool (with its own islands), slurping fruit and honey smoothies and occasionally dragging ourselves into town for some food, shopping, exercise. Philip is still wondering if he should trade in his boardshorts for the European options...please someone talk some sense to him!

It really wasn't chicken! (And other stories from a vegetarian perspective.)

Hey, it's Clare! The pescetarian! (Which, in case you don't know, is a veggo that eats fish... ironically I actually hate most fish except salmon and haddock) Here to give you the incredibly stupid stories that come with being the aforementioned eater. (These aren't in any particular order...)

1st: In Athens we ordered room service the first and second nights- first night I got some "vegetarian" pasta which, after I ate half of it, was pretty sure had chicken in it. I refused to eat the rest. The second night I got the same, clearly telling the room service people that I DID NOT WANT MEAT. When are food came up, chicken was in it. I refused to eat a bite, but Dad, not wanting me to faint, took all the pieces out, what an awesome Dad.

Turns out, now we are in Mykonos, it wasn't chicken! It was this Greek Island cheese that needs to be grilled so it has the same consistency and shape and look as chicken. I knew it tasted like cheese!

2nd: In Tewkesbury, I looked at the menu and there was nothing but meat and some fish, so I decided to be 'wild' and try Lemon Sole. When I told the waiter I was veggo, he made a crossing sign with his fingers and slowly backed away, saying "nt, nt, nt!" what a strange fellow.

3rd: I mistakenly thought proscuitto was a type of cheese, when Dad told me it wasn't, I was very upset.

And always there have been stuff like, WHAT WILL I EAT???? I AM GOING TO FAINT HERE!!!!!!!! And simply having to eat pasta every night. Also I am frequently saying,

Me: "I'll have the ceasar salad, without the chicken and bacon, please. Is that all right?"

Waiter: "Hmmm..."

Mom: "She's a vegetarian."

Waiter: "Ahhh. I'll see what I can do. And what would you like for a main course?"

Me: "The salmon, please."

Waiter: "I see..." (I attract dubious looks from the waiter.)

I am being labled as: "The vegetarian that eats fish" Sometimes I feel like yelling, "What's the matter? Haven't you ever seen a pescetarian before?"

Boardshorts or...?

Today we hired a small car, all crammed in & went for a tour around Santorini. Its not a big place, but with small roads, the occasional donkey train, buses stopping for pick-ups, it can take a while to drive even the 20km from one end to the other. But we did & one thing we wanted to check out was the "Red Beach" - a beach on the south side of the island with impossibly red sand - from the volcanic rocks of the cliffs above the beach. It did not disappoint - nice warm water, unusual "sand" and great people watching. Speaking of which, I've started to wonder (this is Philip, btw) - should I ditch the boardshorts & adopt a more euro-style of beachwear? I'll poll answers...


(Note the package here - David [of Florence fame] would be jealous)

Cave-Dwellers

More of the same here on Santorini--but today we tooled around the island to get a sense of its shape and culture. We checked out the "red" beach on the flat side, which is a mixture of red rocks and black lava--the water temperature and clarity were perfect, and the sea appears to be teeming with fish. The girls were able to catch them in their hands. This on top of the vines laden with grapes hanging down in restaurants makes Santorini a veritable Garden of Eden. The many honeymooners probably see it that way too until our kids go running by. I guess they thought they'd be safe from urchins in September. Think again. We did some laundry too (hopefully the last of it until we hit Whale Beach in Australia).

The Greek government just banned smoking in public places, but people are still lighting up in restaurants and on patios near ours at the hotel. You forget how obnoxious second-hand smoke is, especially when you expect to be inhaling deep breaths of good clean sea air.

Another idiosyncrasy we noticed in Greece is the number of stray animals--cats, kittens, dogs or all shapes and sizes. There's a sweet little pack of stray dogs that says hello to us near Thira. And when we were in Athens, Isabella counted something like 12 sleeping dogs between our hotel and the Acropolis; and some of them hang out in and around the Acropolis. They all seem nice and harmless. Of course, I want to take them home.

Lovely hot weather today--gearing up for Australia!

The Cauldron

As referred to on the prior post, we're sitting on the edge of the caldera, site of the 2nd largest volcanic eruption in the last 20million years or so. Must have been quite a bang. For us, of course, it means that we have some of the most sublime views you could ever ask for. The tourist industry of course takes full advantage of the setting - a tremendous concentration of hotels, restaurants, cafes are built into the cliffs, seemingly hanging on to the very edge of the precipice. I guess some have been here for dozens of years, so absent another eruption, they'll be here for a while longer. But you do wonder when you gaze over the railings...

Much needed R&R for the family. Our days consist of a late, lazy breakfast, some reading, playing, maybe a walk into town, 30 minutes contemplating where to have dinner - ie, island life. Not a bad place to relax.